Hadith 4

As-salaamu'alaykum,

Today's hadith is narrated in Sunan Ibn Majah, in Book 36. It is hadith 64 [3989].

It was narrated from Umar Ibn Al-Khattab that he went out one day to the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) when he found Mu'adh Ibn Jabal sitting beside the grave of the Prophet (PBUH), weeping. So he asked him: "What makes you weep?" He said: "I am weeping because of something that I heard from the Messenger of Allah (PBUH).

I heard him say: 'A little showing off is polytheism. And whoever shows enmity or is hostile towards a friend of Allah, it is as though he is preparing to wage war with Allah. Indeed, Allah loves the righteous, pious, and abstinent, quiet ones. Those who, if they are absent, are not missed, and if they are present, they are not invited or acknowledged. Their hearts are lamps of guidance, and they emerge out of every darkness.' " (The hadith in Arabic is mentioned at the bottom of this blog, if you would like to read it.)

Explanation:

Mua'dh Ibn Jabal wept because he was apprehensive that ostentation might have encroached his doings. Another reason may be that most of the friends of Allah (awliya') are not recognized by people and he may have unknowingly hurt any of them.

A hadith qudsi (which is a hadith which is from Allah narrated by the Prophet (PBUH)) says: 'My friends (awliya') are under My cloak. None but their own kind recognize them.' This is the hadith that supports the second reason why Mu'adh Ibn Jabal might have wept. Some scholars mention that Allah's friends are incognito. They are ignored and unrecognized. However, it doesn't mean that famous people, whose intentions are correct, cannot be friends of Allah.

In the hadith, it is mentioned that a pious person is one who is loved by Allah. Scholars say that a pious person, is one who abstains from what Allah and his Messenger (PBUH) have forbidden or which is disliked by the divine law (shari'ah).

The quiet ones are people who are undetected and concealed. They are written off by society, but are elevated and strong in character, in internal, and spiritual life. It could also refer to the servant of Allah who is secluded from people.

If a scholar, righteous and is god-fearing (i.e. he has taqwa) is in a ragged state, then we must not be deceived by his condition. Rather, we must respect him, for an outwards appearance often belies the inner nature of a person.

To conclude, a close friend of Allah (wali - singular of awliya') is a god-fearing, righteous, abstinent man. It is stated in Sharh-Aqa'id Nasafi that: "A close friend of Allah (wali) is one who possesses an awareness of Allah and attributes to his full ability. He is regular in obeying and in worship. He abstains from sin and does not indulge in base desires."

Advice or inspiration from this hadith:

• We must avoid ostentation or showing off as much as possible
• We can never show enmity or hostility to a fellow Muslim brother or sister as they may be friends of Allah (awliya')

That is all for today, alhamdulillah. Insha'Allah, we have all benefited from it. May Allah allow us to have complete faith in Him and allow us to fully act upon the sayings and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). May Allah bless us with knowledge and understanding so that we may contemplate upon His words. May Allah allow us to have pure intentions in everything we do and guide us so that we may avoid ostentation and showing off at all costs. May Allah rid the feeling of enmity or hostility which we feel with regards to our fellow Muslims. May Allah allow us to become one of his friends (awliya'). May Allah forgive us all and enter us into paradise. Ameen.

If you have any opinions or corrections to make, please mention them in the comments. Jazakumullah khair.